The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has addressed claims of targeting certain regions in an alleged plan to erase at least two million people from the voters' roll.
A statement attributed to the nominated IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon had indicated that supposed ghost voters would be erased from the register, targeting a section of regions in Mt Kenya.
The statement gained traction, sparking reactions from Kenyans and hence prompting the clarification from the IEBC.
The electoral agency flagged it as a deep fake by virtue of not having a substantive chairman who would speak officially on behalf of the commission.
"Please note that the Commission currently neither has a Chairperson nor Members of the Commission. Therefore, any information circulating on social media is null and void," the IEBC tweeted Saturday, July 5.
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The commission remains nonquorate and only run by the secretariat, as the nomination of the new team remains blocked in court.
On June 10, President William Ruto gazetted names to substantively occupy the commission and prepare the country for the 2027 general election.
The nominees were Erastus Edung (chairperson), Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdallah.
The team was slated for their swearing-in before a petition was filed in court challenging their recruitment.
"The nominations do not meet the requirements of Articles 10, 27(1), 232, and 250(3) & (4) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, which call for regional balance, ethnic inclusivity, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Allowing the nominees to take office without addressing these concerns would render the petition moot, as constitutional provisions do not allow for removal of commissioners on grounds related to irregular appointments," partly read the petition filed by activists Boniface Mwangi and Kelvin Roy Omondi.
The petition was filed before Justice Lawrence Mugambi, who paused the swearing-in of the chairman and commissioners, despite okaying the National Assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) to vet them.
